She stepped off the ledge, just after midnight, and dove smoothly into the pool, which swallowed her cleanly and whole. Below the surface, the water felt cold and clear and very heavy - for a moment, she forgot that she could breathe. But soon she remembered whatever magic or science made her aquatic, and began to swim. Slow, steady pulses of muscles, moving her forward, towards the vortex that led to the entrance of the pipes.
Here, great machines pumped the water into wide cement piping, leading all through the massive building she had to breach. Holding her breath out of instinct rather than need, she took a final stroke and allowed herself to be pulled into the pipes, spinning with the force of the sudden tide.
Water swept through with terrible speed, ripping around curves and frothing against the sides. The width of the pipe allowed her to turn easily, so that her feet now went first. She held herself straight and pliable, and slid through the many twisting corners. The water exerted massive pressure, and she tried to keep herself near the top, for fear of being crushed beneath it. Her eardrums screamed and her lungs felt as though they would burst.
Suddenly, the mad pace of the water lessened. The pipe branched off in several directions; she stayed with the main tunnel still, floating now along the top of a swift stream. Soon, it slowed further as more smaller pipes funnelled off the force of the water. Finally, with the water level now low and placid, she found that the pipe became a half-pipe, leaving the a wide semicircle open for a few feet before the line ended abruptly at a grate. Beyond this grate, covered in slimy mold and debris, the water became a tame waterfall in the middle of a well-tended hothouse garden.
In the darkness, she could hear scuffling and low voices. Filtered moonlight showed the silhouette of two men, one pulling the other roughly behind him. She peered through the grate, watching as they mounted the spiral staircase out of the garden. When the engine of a jeep roared to life, she vaulted quickly over the side of the pipe, falling through the branches of trees and ferns before landing more heavily than she would have liked. Through the glass of the greenhouse, she could see the lights of the jeep slow and stop. She held herself very still, acutely aware of the moonlight reflecting off her skin. She closed her eyes.
...
at which point i woke up. any ideas for an ending?
Here, great machines pumped the water into wide cement piping, leading all through the massive building she had to breach. Holding her breath out of instinct rather than need, she took a final stroke and allowed herself to be pulled into the pipes, spinning with the force of the sudden tide.
Water swept through with terrible speed, ripping around curves and frothing against the sides. The width of the pipe allowed her to turn easily, so that her feet now went first. She held herself straight and pliable, and slid through the many twisting corners. The water exerted massive pressure, and she tried to keep herself near the top, for fear of being crushed beneath it. Her eardrums screamed and her lungs felt as though they would burst.
Suddenly, the mad pace of the water lessened. The pipe branched off in several directions; she stayed with the main tunnel still, floating now along the top of a swift stream. Soon, it slowed further as more smaller pipes funnelled off the force of the water. Finally, with the water level now low and placid, she found that the pipe became a half-pipe, leaving the a wide semicircle open for a few feet before the line ended abruptly at a grate. Beyond this grate, covered in slimy mold and debris, the water became a tame waterfall in the middle of a well-tended hothouse garden.
In the darkness, she could hear scuffling and low voices. Filtered moonlight showed the silhouette of two men, one pulling the other roughly behind him. She peered through the grate, watching as they mounted the spiral staircase out of the garden. When the engine of a jeep roared to life, she vaulted quickly over the side of the pipe, falling through the branches of trees and ferns before landing more heavily than she would have liked. Through the glass of the greenhouse, she could see the lights of the jeep slow and stop. She held herself very still, acutely aware of the moonlight reflecting off her skin. She closed her eyes.
...
at which point i woke up. any ideas for an ending?